At eleven thirty in the evening, Secretary Xia sat alone at the edge of the rooftop, scattered soda cans around him.

His hair was messy, his face a picture of dejection, far from the imposing figure he held when issuing orders at Department C...

Two hours ago, after finishing his work, he saw that the light in Zhou Wenbin's office was still on, so he went to ask if dinner needed to be prepared.

Zhou Wenbin said he still had work to handle and told him to leave first; Secretary Xia thought nothing of it, as this happened often, so he left.

But as he walked out of the Z Building, he realized he had forgotten something and turned back to retrieve it.

Just as he stepped into the office, he suddenly heard his superior's angry shouts coming from inside the room.

Seeing the door was slightly ajar, Secretary Xia meant to ask what was going on.

It wasn't that he was nosy; as a secretary, it's his job to solve problems for his boss—the more satisfied the boss, the wider his future path...

But before he even reached the door, he heard another sentence from inside.

That sentence made his extended leg freeze in mid-air.

"I must leave tonight! Otherwise, I won't be able to get away!"

Even though Zhou Wenbin had intentionally lowered his voice when he said this, Secretary Xia still caught it.

His mind went blank, his face filled with disbelief.

After mixing in the quality department for years, how could he not understand the meaning behind those words?

After a stunned pause of four or five seconds, he swallowed hard, retracted his steps, and quietly retreated...

If he hadn't heard it himself, he would never have believed that Zhou Wenbin, the city's number two figure, would flee.

Once he calmed down, he carefully recalled Zhou Wenbin's recent actions and found that there had indeed been signs.

Although he knew the filthiness between Zhou Wenbin and the big slicked-back hair man, and though Zhou Wenbin knew he knew, usually he would discreetly avoid it. This time, however, Zhou Wenbin instructed him to negotiate with the big slicked-back hair man.

It was like putting the leverage in his hands.

Before this, he was smugly thinking the leader trusted him more, never expecting this kind of outcome...

He finally understood why Zhou Wenbin must have the five hundred thousand USD delivered today before midnight...

Now Secretary Xia faced only two choices: either turn himself in, or follow Zhou Wenbin's lead...

But no matter which he chooses, he is unwilling.

After studying bitterly for over a decade and fighting his way through fierce competition, he then diligently worked for six or seven years, to the point where his hairline receded, finally making it to the position of an official-level cadre. How could he bear to give it up just like that?

But if he doesn't choose, it would be a dead end, with a sewing machine running so hard it smokes.

"Zhou Wenbin! Damn you to hell!"

Secretary Xia let out an angry shout, crunched the can in his hand, and hurled it against the wall.

After venting, he dejectedly stood up, his eyes devoid of any spirit, and like a walking corpse, he went downstairs towards the municipal building...

Meanwhile, Qi Yun, having just finished his bath, received a message from Brother Hui.

Brother Hui's underlings got word that two white men had chartered a boat, planning to sneak to Pearl City from Yuanlang Pier at dawn.

Brother Hui immediately led a group of underlings, as well as Niu Da and Duan Pingyu sent by Qi Yun, to Yuanlang Pier, determined to pin down those two guys this time.

Not even mentioning the combat power of Brother Hui's followers, just in intelligence gathering, they were amazing, with connections from all walks of life. It felt like there wasn't anything happening on Hong Kong Island that he didn't know.

Qi Yun lit a cigarette, feeling a slight expectation, hoping that the two people introduced by Chen Wei would not disappoint him.

Time quickly approached midnight, half an hour passed, and there was still no movement.

Qi Yun opened the intelligence system panel and began to receive today's intelligence messages.

[Current intelligence points: 34]

[Today's intelligence 1 (Red): An hour ago, Zhou Wenbin, with the assistance of a mysterious force, shook off surveillance, disguised himself, and using a fake identity, successfully boarded a flight to Rui City in Yunnan Province. He thought he'd welcome a free and wealthy life, unaware that waiting for him would be the end of his life.]

This...

Qi Yun stared at this piece of intelligence, falling into brief silence.

From Bird City to Yunnan Province, the flight would take about four hours. Logically, he now had the chance to relay this message to Zhang Dayong. If the government office set an ambush at Yunnan Province Airport, they could surely capture Zhou Wenbin successfully.

But it's a huge risk.

Firstly, he couldn't explain the source of the information, as even Zhang Dayong couldn't cover for him in such matters.

After all, when even the country's mechanism lost track, how would a mere civilian know? He would surely have to answer to that department's questioning.

More importantly, Qi Yun feared it might bring disaster upon himself.

Clearly, Zhou Wenbin had already fled, so why was death still waiting for him?

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became... best not to get involved.

[Today's intelligence 2 (Blue): The site selection work for the fifteen new campuses has been completed. After exchanging opinions, the city high-ups decided to place the new campus on New District Xuanwu Street. This information will be publicly announced after the C Committee meeting next Monday.]

Qi Yun was very familiar with the Fifteen High School, having attended it himself. The old campus in Sha District was indeed quite old.

If this news were released, the housing prices on Xuanwu Street would undoubtedly soar, given that Fifteen High is the city's best high school.

Although the real estate market is currently declining, this doesn't include school district housing.

Qi Yun rubbed his chin, pondering silently.

Today is Wednesday, five days away from next Monday.

Thinking of eating meat is impossible, although he learned the news in advance through the system, some people might have started hoarding land and building half a year ago, just waiting for the meat to get into the pot.

Maybe time for a sip of soup… buying some good location school district houses in advance, then selling them later for a profit, if done well, could earn a few million.

[Today's Intelligence 3 (Purple 1/6): 89°55′22″E, 40°29′55″N]

Purple!?

Qi Yun widened his eyes, incredulous, a purple intelligence appeared!

This is the first time!

But the next second he was a bit dumbfounded, what's this 1/6 thing? Does it mean the intelligence is incomplete?

And this intelligence content, seems like coordinates…

He immediately picked up his phone and tried to input these coordinates on the map.

The next second, the location went straight to the desert, and it's the famous Lop Nur...

This wasn't all, a note popped up next to the location saying "Ancient Loulan".

"Hiss~"

Qi Yun took a deep breath, could it be related to the Ancient Loulan? What's this purple intelligence mean? Starting off with something so big...

But for now, there's only one coordinate, nothing else, a bit confusing.

Just as he was puzzled and couldn't figure it out, the phone in his hand suddenly vibrated, looking down, it was a call from Niu Da.

After answering the call, Niu Da's gruff voice came through the earpiece: "Boss, only caught one of those two white guys, the other one jumped into the sea and escaped, Brother Hui is currently searching the nearby sea area."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun was delighted internally, these two brothers are truly capable, indeed did not disappoint him.

Catching one is good enough, as long as we can find out his intentions, it wouldn't be a waste.

"How are you and Pingyu? Any injuries?"

"No big deal!" Niu Da replied in a muffled voice, "The other guy got careless, Pingyu knocked him out with a punch up close, the other traded a few blows with me and seeing things were not going well, jumped into the sea and escaped."

"Good that you're not injured." Qi Yun thought briefly, then continued, "Keep a close watch on them, don't let them out of your sight, I'm flying first thing in the morning."

"Also, if Brother Hui handles him, make sure he's not done for."

Actually, he could have had Niu Da interrogate him over there and just report the outcomes.

But regarding matters of the sunken ship and that map, Qi Yun didn't want too many people finding out, so he decided to go in person.

"Understood!" Niu Da responded swiftly.

After hanging up the phone, Qi Yun let out a long breath, feeling an anticipation of unveiling the mystery soon.

...

The next morning, Qi Yun prepared breakfast and went to his daughter's room, waking up the little girl who was still fast asleep manually.

The little girl opened her eyes groggily, grumbling discontentedly, "Daddy, what are you doing!"

"Lazybones, if you don't get up now, you'll be late." Qi Yun laughed and pinched her little cheek, "Daddy has to go on a trip, won't be eating with you tonight, you have to listen to Sister Qing at home."

The little girl rubbed her eyes and sat up, "Okay, but Daddy, you have to buy me a teddy bear when you come back."

"No problem, Daddy will buy you a room full of teddy bears." Qi Yun coaxed while dressing his daughter.

After getting the little girl ready, Zhao Qing came out with her makeup done.

"How long will you be gone this time?"

Qi Yun kissed his daughter on the cheek, then set her down, turning to Zhao Qing and replied, "It won't be long, if things go fast, I'll be back tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qing's eyebrows relaxed: "Alright, then I'll pack fewer clothes for you."

The little girl held onto Qi Yun's leg, unwilling to let go, "Daddy, you have to keep your word!"

"Of course." Qi Yun squeezed her nose, "Now go wash your face."

The little girl, satisfied, let go and hopped cheerfully towards the bathroom.

Qi Yun went to the dining table and quickly wolfed down two bowls of porridge, finishing his breakfast by the time Zhao Qing emerged with a suitcase.

"I'll be off then, or I'll miss the flight later."

Zhao Qing handed the suitcase to him, then thoughtfully adjusted his collar, softly saying, "Remember what I've told you, always be aware of your safety outside; there's nothing more important than that."

Qi Yun nodded, kissing her on the forehead, "I'll remember, don't worry."

At the door, Chen Wei was already waiting in the car, this time traveling to Hong Kong Island Qi Yun didn't bring anyone else, just him and Chen Wei...

At 3 p.m., after a five-hour flight, the plane finally landed at Peng City Airport, where one of Brother Hui's men came to pick him up.

Qi Yun did not linger in Peng City, boarding a black license plate car and heading straight towards Hong Kong Island.

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